Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Open Forum
Update from the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Merlyn Hernandez
Discussion Leader
Merlyn N. Hernandez is the founder of the Law Offices of Merlyn N. Hernandez. For over 13 years, Ms. Hernandez has practiced immigration and family law. Her immigration practice focuses on family-based immigration, asylum, removal defense, administrative appeals, and appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Ms. Hernandez has represented clients before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits. Ms. Hernandez is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Family Law Section Executive Committee, a board member of the California Chapter of the Association of Family & Conciliation Courts, and AILA. She has previously served as an advocacy/congressional liaison for the AILA Southern California Chapter. She has been a member of AILA’s Consumer Protection and UPL Action Committee and is currently Vice Chair of the AILA’s EOIR Liaison Committee.
Sarah Owings
Speaker
Sarah Owings is a partner at Owings MacNorlin, LLC. She attended the College of Law at Georgia State University, where she earned a Juris Doctor degree in 2007, and she has practiced immigration law exclusively since that time. Sarah has experience in removal defense, family-based immigration, humanitarian forms of relief, and asylum proceedings. She is frequently asked to speak at continuing legal education programs and to provide commentary to the media on the rapidly changing immigration landscape. In 2017, Sarah was elected to the Board of Governors of AILA National, and she currently serves as an Elected Director. Sarah is also a vice-chair of the AILA National Joint EOIR/ICE Liaison Committee. Sarah resides in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a member in good standing of the Georgia Bar. Locally, she served on the executive committee of the Georgia-Alabama Chapter of AILA from 2012 until 2018 and she has chaired various local liaison committees for AILA Georgia-Alabama throughout her legal career. Sarah has been a board member of the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network and is currently a board member of Immigrant's List.